Improvement in snow-plows



E. ROGERS.

Snow-Flaws.

N0.15l, 915 Patentedjunewsm.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EEIcE EZEKIEL ROGERS, OF NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN SNOW-FLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,916, dated June 9l1874; applicat1on filed v April 4, 1873.

To all chem it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, EZEKIEL ROGERS, of New London, in the county of NewLondon and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Snow- Plows.

My improvements relate to that general class of railroad snow-plowswhich are provided with vertical cutters, inclined planes, andmold-boards. My invention consists partially in a novel combination,construction, and arrangement of the cutters and the inclined plane,whereby the mass of snow to be removed will be detached from thesnow-bank, on one or both sides, in advance of the base of the inclinedplane; and also in combining, with the cutters and inclined plane, ahorizontal cutter and ground-plate, operating either in advance of thevertical cutters or between their edges and the base of the inclinedplane, whereby the massof snow to be moved will be detached from theground adjacent to or on a level with or below the top surface of therails; and, still further, in combining, with the mold board, adjustablewings or clearers, whereby the snow, after being discharged on the topof the bank, may be pushed back from the cut, and thereby practicallyobviate the caving in of the sides of the cut; and I do hereby declarethat the following specification, taken in connection with the drawingsfurnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear and truedescription of a snow-plow embodying thegseveral features of myinvention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l represents in perspective one of mysnow-plows. Fig. 2 represents the same in side view, with one of theside cutters removed. Fig. 3 represents the same in top view. Fig. 4representis in longitudinal section a plow embodying my invention, buthaving a slightly different arrangement of the parts. Fig. 5 representsmysnow-plow in front view.

My improved plow may be mounted on one four-wheeled truck, or on twotrucks, as shown in the drawings.

A denotes the inclined plane 5 B, an adjustable vertical divider, and Cthe mold-board, none of which parts possess any special novelty. Theinclined plane A extends from a point as near the crown of the rails asit is practicable to have it, to a point above the level at which snowsare apt to fall-say seldom if ever, at an elevation greater than fivefeet from the ground. The adjustable vertical separator B is hinged atits rear end to the front of the mold-board, and is provided with aattened projecting lug at its front lower end, through which a holdingpin-may be dropped into one of several holes arranged on a curved lineadjacent thereto on the inclined plane. By this arrangement the snowtaken up may be equally or unequally divided, and thrown to the twosides, or all may be thrown to either side. The mold-board C on eachside is or may be a straight-sided incline, or of the usual plowshareform. The mold-board and separator are surmountefl by a cap, a, which soprojects on either side as to prevent snow from iiying back 011 thelocomotive. D denotes, in each instance, a vertical cutter; its cuttingedge is placed far in advance of the front of the inclined plane. Bybeing so located, the mass of snow to be removed is wholly separatedfrom the bank before the plane can act thereon and pack it by thepressure necessary for the removal of the snow already in the plow.Extending from the rear end of the vertical cutters to a point adjacentto the front of the mold-board are side wings d, which serve to keep themass of snow, while being elevated on the plane, from coming in contactwith the vertical walls of the snow-bank. The vertical cutters may beplaced with their edges in advance of the base of the inclined plane, atany distance varying from, say, twelve inches to six feet, with variableresults. As a rule, the farther they are placed in advance, the easiercan the plane take the snow, for the cut will then surely be made so farin advance of the snow, which is packed by the forward movement oftheplow and the pressure of the snow already thereon, that its lift will bewholly free from contact with the sides of Athe bank, and at the pointwhere the packed snow merges into the natural drift the verticalseparation will be complete. Y. f

lith plows as heretofore constructed, the snow is packed in advance, andto a greater or less extent it is made to hug the ground7 and,therefore, it has a tendency to continually lift or raise the nose ofthe plow. Although the effect is, to a valuable degree, lessened byplacing the cutters so far in advance of the plane as to confine thelift and the pack to that portion of the snow actually to be removed, Ihave invented a means by which the packing in advance is practicallyobviated, which consists in a horizontal cutter or ground-plate, E,which is placed in advance of the base of plane A, and 011 linetherewith, with its upper edge beveled downward, forming a chisel-shapedfront, so that it will have a tendency to maintain the desiredhorizontal position. This horizontal cutter may haveits chisel-edge at apoint adjacent to the edges of the vertical cutters, or at some pointbetween them and the base of the plane, and it will op crate withvariable effects, any of which will be superior' to results which can beattained without its use.

It will always be preferable, however, in order to attain the mostvaluable results, that this horizontal cutter or ground-plate shouldextend beyond the plane so far that it will undermine and sustain thesnow to be removed at a point beyond the pack, which, according to thedepth of the snow, will vary from two to six feet. For ordinary usagethe ground-plate need not extend more than, say, three or four feetbeyond the base of the inclined plane. It will be seen that theoperation of the cutter and ground-plate will be substantially the same,whether its edge be advanced beyond the edges of the vertical cutters orlocated between them and the inclined plane. In localities where deepsnows are liable to occur it will be advisable to have the ground-plateextensible, even to a point slightly beyond the edges of the verticalcntters. It is to be noted that my aim is, as far as practicable, toseparatev the mass of snow to be removed from the drift and from theground before it can be packed either horizontally or into closerrelation with the track than it would naturally be in after fallingnaturally or drifting, and by this means the labor of lifting anddischarging the mass is greatly lessened, for the plow is only obligedto force its way through loose snow, instead of snow which is packed,not only ahead, but also more or less at the sides ofthe cut.

Inasmuch as a vertical-sided bank or cut would be liable to cave if themass of snow should be lett near its edge, as would naturally be thecase if the mold-board alone were employed, I have devised the clearersor wings F, which are hinged or pivoted to the rear of the mold-board ateach side. These wings can be controlled by a lever, as shown, which, byacting on chains or cords, will contract the wings at their vrear ends,and by the use of powerful springs of metal or wood they may be forcedout to their extreme limits. As the snow deposited on the top of thebank will not be backed up at all it will not require vmuch force tothrow it out of the way. These wings may each be made in two horizontalsections, so that the upper one will have a wider range than thc lower,and thus effectually control unusual quantities of snow with greaterease than if the whole mass were moved back at once.

It will be observed that the vertical cutters are inclined outwardsomewhat from the base upward, in order that there may always be atendency to a lift and a free clearance as the plow advances. Theinclined plane at or near the front of the mold-board is considerablywider than at the cutters, and therefore no liability will occur for thesnow to chokev as it is passing or being lifted upward to the moldboard.

rIhe wings or clearers F should have a re tractile capacity sufficientto enable them to be readily withdrawn so far that they may fully clearthe sides of narrow ways, as at bridges, &c.

Having thus described my invention, it is to be understood that I amwell aware that inclined planes, moldboards, and vertical cutters havebeen combined in snow-plows for many years, and that rotary cutters ofvarious kinds have also been employed in combination with a spout-likestructure, the bottom and sides of which were intended to serve asseparators or cutters. I am not aware, however, of the existence, priorto my invention, of such a combination of these elements as would effectthe successive operation of the vertical and horizontal cutters, theinclined plane, and the mold-board, as herein described; and

I therefore claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. Thecombination, in a snow-plow, of the inclined plane A and mold-board B' Gwith vertical cutters D, which are placed in advance of the base of theinclined plane, whereby the mass of snow to be removed will be detachedfrom the bank before it becomes packed by the forward movement of theplow, as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, in a snow-plow, of the vertical cutters D and alaterally and longitudinally horizontal cutter or ground-plate, E, bothof which are placed with their cutting-edges in advance of the base ofthe inclined plane A, whereby the masss of snow to be removed will bedetached from the bank at the sides and from the-ground before said massbecomes packed by the forward movement of the plow, as and for thepurposes specified.

3. In combination with the mold-board B C of a snow-plow, the adjustableexpanding wings or clearers F, for throwing the snow beyond the range ofthe mold-board, and beyond the sides of the snow-cut on either or bothsides of the plow, as and for the purposes specified.

EZEKIEL ROGERS.

Vitnesses:

GrLEs BAILEY, GrDEoN F. RAYMOND.

